"You should come see us sometime," Jeffrey leered.
"Knock it off, Jeff," Nurse Phillips said sharply. "She's one of my students. Jailbait."
Penny came up and stood right in front of me. "Nurse Phillips, can I have your autograph now? I know you said not to bother you at school, but we're not in school now."
"Autograph?" I said stupidly. I was obviously missing something.
Which Penny was happy to make clear to me. "You've got to be kidding me," she scoffed. She flipped her skunk-striped hair. "You don't know? Nurse Phillips is the bass player for Side Effects May Vary."
"I had no idea." I stared at Nurse Phillips. That meant she was at the Black Opal the night Cassandra was attacked.
"Figures," Penny snorted.
"It's okay, Daisy," Nurse Phillips said. She smiled at me. "Penny exaggerates our popularity. Some of the kids at school found out I was in the band."
"You mean, everyone who is anyone," Penny said under her breath.
"I'd better get back to my friends anyhow. Nice to meet you." I was missing something. I knew it.
I fished out the piece of paper Jeff had given me and saw that it wasn't his phone number, but a flyer for Side Effects May Vary.
When I got back to the table, Samantha and Sean weren't there, which gave me a chance to tell Ryan my new theory.
I waved the flyer in front of Ryan's face. "Nurse Phillips!" I said. "It has to be her."
"What do you mean?"
" The vampire," I said. "I think the vamp is Nurse Phillips. She was there every time a girl was attacked."
"So were you and Samantha," Ryan pointed out.
"So?" I said, feeling irritated that he'd been keeping track of Sam's whereabouts.
"So there were plenty of people around," he said. "You, me, Sam, Sean, Nurse Phillips. Half the cheerleading squad was at the club that night. That doesn't mean any of them is the vampire."
"It doesn't mean one of them isn't," I said.
"Besides, I thought vampires couldn't go out during the day, and Nurse Phillips is at school every single day."
"That's just a myth," I said. "Besides, we're looking for a soul sucker, not a blood sucker."
"True," he said.
"Hey, you spent a few hours with her yesterday," I said. "Did you notice anything vampy about her?"
"No," Ryan said, "but I was a little woozy." Suddenly, he cleared his throat. "I wanted to ask you something." He hesitated while I imagined the worst.
"Go on," I said.
"Would you go to the homecoming dance with me?"
I smiled at him. "I'd love to." Now I felt woozy.
A few minutes later, when I came back to Earth, I realized that Sam and Sean still hadn't returned.
"Where'd they go?" I asked Ryan.
He said, "They're outside. Fighting."
"But their food will get cold," I said.
"They'll be back in a minute," he said. He slid an arm around my waist and pulled me closer. He kissed me gently on the lips.
I hesitated. My mind was whirling, but from the way Ryan was kissing me, he didn't want to break up.
Oh. Oh. Oh. It finally sunk in what Samantha had been talking about earlier. She had thought I didn't want to be alone with Ryan. But I did. I did want to be alone with Ryan. Just maybe not alone alone. Not yet anyway.
I was so absorbed in thoughts of being alone with Ryan and the homecoming dance that I almost missed Nurse Phillips. She was in the parking lot saying good-bye to her band mates, about to make her getaway. I grabbed Ryan and we followed her.
We trailed Nurse Phillips to a tiny cemetery just outside town. Ryan pulled through the gate and parked the car down the lane, under the shelter of a couple of large trees.
"What do you think she's doing here?" I asked Ryan. We could see her from the car. She walked along the rows of headstones until she found the one she was looking for and stayed there for a long time.
"Whatever it is," he said, "she's not looking for her next victim. These people are already dead."
I punched him on the arm. "That's not funny. What if she's waiting for her fledgling to rise?"
"We should wait until she leaves and look for fresh graves," Ryan said. Although slightly repulsed by the idea, we did as he suggested.
After she drove off, I hopped out of the car. "You take that row and I'll take this one."
"Why don't we stay together?"
"Good idea," I replied.
We drew closer to the approximate location where she'd been. I didn't see any fresh graves, but I did see something that made me stop in my tracks.
One of the headstones was carved with a familiar name. It read "Christian Phillips, beloved husband." The dates on the stone made it clear that it was probably Nurse Phillips's husband.
"She was just visiting a loved one," I said. I pointed to the fresh bouquet of flowers on the granite.
As we walked back to the car, I said, "Did you see any stones marked with the Foster name?"
"No, but we didn't get very far."
The newspaper article Ryan found had been from the Nightshade Gazette, which meant there was a good chance that the woman in the picture would have been buried here.
"Let's check. Remember that photo? Maybe we can find Miss Foster's relative here."
Or maybe not. Although we spent over an hour combing the cemetery, there was no sign of any Fosters.
I was certain that she was our vamp, but how was I going to prove it?
Chapter Seventeen
The weeks leading up to homecoming were tense. Samantha had all the cheerleaders jumping around, painting posters, hanging banners, and making "spirit boxes" for the football players. One day, the cheerleaders actually drove to In-N-Out and brought back about a hundred double-double cheeseburgers for the football team's lunch.
With all the preparations, I didn't have much time to focus on the vamp problem.
One Thursday after school, I went shopping with Poppy and Rose. They helped me pick out the perfect dress for the dance. It was deep midnight blue, silky to the touch, and fit me like nothing else I'd ever owned. I couldn't wait for Ryan to see me in it.
I was floating until we got home. Then I hit the ground with a thump.
Mom met us at the door. "Daisy, can you make something a little special for dinner tonight?"
"Sure, but what's the occasion?"
"I've invited Chief Mendez and Ryan for dinner," she said.
My sisters stifled their laughter.
"I told them seven-thirty. I hope that will be all right?"
Unbelievable. "Fine," I said.
She said, "Great. I've got to finish some work, but holler if you need anything." Mom wandered upstairs with a file in her hand.
As soon as she left, Rose said, "What was she thinking?"
"Dinner with the parents already?" Poppy said. "It's the kiss of death."
"We've had dinner with them before," I reminded her.
"Yeah, but that was before you two were dating," she said.
"What am I supposed to do?" I looked at my watch. "It's too late to cancel."
"You have to talk to her," Rose said.
"I'll talk to her later. I'll have to make the best of it for now."
"If it's any help," Rose said, "Mom gave me a list and I went grocery shopping earlier today, so we're all stocked up."
"That's a huge help," I said. "But I'd better get started."
I rushed to the kitchen and checked to see what Rose had bought, then rifled through my cookbooks. I had no idea what to make. Potluck would not do for a dinner with the parents. I had to make something special, in order to distract them. They'd be so full from stuffing themselves that they'd forget to ask any awkward questions.
What did guys like to eat? I thought frantically. Meat. Men liked to eat meat, right? Ryan wasn't a vegetarian and neither was the chief. I opened the fridge door and stared in. I spied a large beef roast in the back and grabbed it.
I'd make pot roast
. I checked my watch again. I had just enough time to cook it, as long as I served munchies first.
I hated cooking under pressure, which is one reason I'd never make it as a professional chef.
I checked the oven to make sure Poppy hadn't stored anything inside. I'd never forget the time I accidentally set fire to her school project, which she'd left in the oven to dry. As the oven preheated, I went over my mental checklist. I'd make a quick salad.
I wished I had more time to prepare, but there was no sense in wringing my hands about it. When I turned around, a gorgeous salad sat in a big wooden bowl on the counter.
I frowned. How had it gotten there? Rose or Poppy must have made it, but when? It looked good, but it was missing shredded cheese. I was headed for the fridge when the refrigerator door opened and a package of shredded cheese floated out and to the counter, where it hovered uncertainly, as if waiting for further directions.
I did not have time for my sister's pranks. "Poppy," I called out. "Cut it out. I don't have time for this." There was no answer. "Poppy," I yelled it this time.
She walked into the kitchen a few seconds later. "You bellowed?"
I gestured toward the cheese, which still hung in midair.
"I'm stressed enough about making dinner for Ryan and his dad, so quit it, okay?" I said.
"I'm not doing it," she said mildly.
"Then who is?" I put my hands on my hips and glared at her. "You are," she said. That's when the package of cheese exploded.
Chapter Eighteen
After the bag exploded, showering us with mozzarella, Poppy started screaming with excitement. "Mom, come here! You're never going to believe it! Daisy's..."
Mom came running. "For heaven's sakes," she said. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong," Poppy started to explain, but I gave her a pleading look and shook my head the tiniest bit, hoping that Mom wouldn't notice.
"Er, um, Daisy's..." Poppy's imitation of a guppy was quite remarkable.
"I wanted to know if we had any fresh garlic," I improvised wildly. "I'm going to make stuffed mushrooms."
"Is that all?" Mom put a hand to her chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack. Look in the pantry."
"For what?" I asked.
My mom glanced at Poppy and then back to me. "Are you girls sure you're all right? You're both acting very strangely."
"We're fine, Mom," I said. "I'm just..." I sent Poppy a wild look. Help! I wasn't ready to deal with my newfound powers, if that's what was happening. I definitely wasn't ready to tell Mom, not until I knew my psychic powers were here to stay. I didn't want her to get all excited only to find that I was a norm after all.
"Nervous about cooking dinner for Ryan," Poppy said quickly. "Why don't you go to the living room and relax? I'll bring you an appetizer when they're ready."
"If you're sure you don't need anything else, I will," Mom said, still looking confused. "I still have work to do."
"Thanks for not saying anything," I said to Poppy, after Mom left.
"No problem," she said, "but I don't get it. Don't you want to be psychic?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "I'm used to the idea that I was a norm. It never occurred to me that I could be anything else." It was also something I shared with my father. And now it seemed that was gone, too.
"But you are," Poppy said. "You're one of us now."
"Meaning I wasn't before?" I replied. She didn't know how much her words hurt, since they only confirmed what I'd always suspected. That I was an outsider in my own family.
"I didn't mean..." Poppy trailed off uncertainly.
"I know you didn't," I said. "Can we keep this between the two of us?"
"You mean not even tell Rose?" Poppy looked shocked.
"If she picks up on it, we'll tell her," I decided. "Otherwise, no."
Poppy still looked doubtful, so I added. "Just until I know it wasn't some kind of fluke. There's no sense in getting everyone excited when I don't even know if I can do it again."
"Try while you're making dinner," Poppy said.
"I don't know what to do," I admitted.
"What were you doing when it happened?"
"Fixing dinner."
"No, I mean what were you feeling? What were you thinking about?"
"I don't know. It just happened. How does it work when you do it?"
Poppy thought about it. "When my powers manifested, I couldn't control them. Mom told me to take a deep breath and then tell the object to move."
"Let me get the mushrooms in the oven first," I said. "Then I'll try."
I was nervous about failing. Turns out I had a reason to be.
First I tried to float the dishes into the dishwasher. No luck. Then I tried something smaller, an orange from the bowl of fruit on the counter. I tried and tried while I finished up with dinner, but nothing happened.
The timer went off and I bent down to check the food. "See, it was a fluke," I said. I was grateful that I could hide my face. I didn't want Poppy to see how upset I was. I took a deep breath and tried to convince myself that I was relieved I didn't have any powers.
After a minute or two of pretending to study the oven's contents intently, I took the mushrooms out. The roast was still cooking. The kitchen clock told me I had just enough time to change before Ryan and his dad arrived.
The doorbell rang just as I finished applying lipstick. They were early. Was that a good sign, as in I can't wait to see Daisy, or a bad sign, as in I can't wait to get this done and over with?
At dinner, Chief Mendez complimented me so effusively that both Ryan and I were blushing.
"You'll make someone a great—" Don't say it!
There was the distinct sound of Ryan's shoe connecting with his dad's shin.
"—chef someday," Ryan's dad continued blandly.
Poppy giggled madly, but Rose glared at her and she finally stopped.
Dinner concluded without any more inappropriate comments, much to my relief.
"Why don't you girls show Ryan the living room? Pete and I will clean up," Mom said. "There's something I want to talk to him about anyway."
"Ryan's seen the living room before, Mom," Poppy said dryly.
"C'mon, Poppy," Rose said, "You heard Mom."
Ryan started to take his plate into the kitchen, but Mom took it from him and shooed him off.
Ryan and I loitered in the hallway, out of their range of vision. He took my hand. "Was that weird or what?"
"The weirdest," I agreed. "What do you think they're talking about?"
"Probably a case they're working on," Ryan said. He pulled me closer.
Reluctantly, I put a hand out to stop him. "What if that's not what they're talking about?"
"Daisy, you worry too much," he replied. "Besides, what else could it be?"
"Us."
That one word galvanized him into action. He put a finger to his lips and led me back to just out of sight from the kitchen, still holding my hand. I could hear my mother's voice, but not what they were saying.
I moved closer, brushing against Ryan as I passed. My heart sped up but then slowed almost to a stop when I heard what my mother said next.
"I don't think we should do anything. Let the council handle it."
Ryan's dad said something I didn't catch.
Then my mom's voice came through loud and clear. "I can just see the county coroner's face when we tell them that the dead girl was spotted at Slim's Diner tonight."
Ryan pulled me closer and gazed into my eyes. "Are you okay? You look pale."
"I'm fine, really," I said. But I wasn't fine. Samantha Devereaux's phony dead girl act aside, it made me queasy to think of a real dead girl, poor Chelsea Morris, hanging out at my favorite spot and stalking unsuspecting customers. "Let's go talk to my sisters."
They were in the living room. "What are we going to do?" Poppy asked after I told her what we'd overheard.
"I have an idea," I said. "Ryan and I will go look for the girl. Rose, can you call N
icholas and see if he knows anything?"
"All right, Daisy, but I'm not sure he'd tell me even if he did know anything," she said. There was a trace of bitterness in her voice.
"Is everything okay between the two of you?" I asked.
"It's okay," she said. "I just don't want to talk about it right now."
Poppy said, "It doesn't seem fair. What do I get to do?"
"Stay home and cover for us," I said.
"What should I tell them?"
"Tell them we went to get some ice cream for the dessert. But stall as long as you can!"
"What's for dessert?" Poppy asked, diverted by the mention of food.
"Brownies," I said. "Now do you think you can cover for us?"
"I'll think of something." I didn't like the mischievous look on her face, but there wasn't anything I could do about it now.
"Thanks," I said as we left. "And save me some brownies."
Slim's was empty, except for a couple making out in the corner booth. I couldn't tell who the girl was, because she wore a baggy black sweatshirt with the hood pulled up, which obscured her face and hair. I recognized Bane Paxton, though, a senior at Nightshade, and if rumors were correct, a complete dog when it came to the opposite sex. He had a dopey expression on his face, which made me assume that the date was going well, at least by Bane's standards.
Ryan ordered a quart of mint chocolate chip—Poppy's favorite—while I moved to get a better look at Bane and his date. It was the baby vamp all right. Chelsea looked like a fledgling bird with her mouth open. She seemed to be trying to inhale Bane, but he took it as a signal to stick his tongue down her throat.
I started forward to warn him when there was a loud thud. Flo and Ryan froze as I dashed toward Bane, who was convulsing on the ground.
Flo grabbed the phone and dialed 9-1-1.
The baby vamp pushed past me and almost knocked me over as she bolted for the door.
"Stop her!" I said, but she was already gone. "Where'd she go?" I looked through the big bay window, but the street seemed empty.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of movement. I dashed out the door. I ran down Main Street in the direction I thought I'd seen something.
I heard Ryan's footsteps behind me, but I didn't slow down. I could see the figure of the girl up ahead. She was running now, too, and her hood fell down to reveal long red hair.
Dead Is the New Black Page 11
